In 1876, Lt. Tony Britton of the 7th Cavalry is in love with pretty young Barbara Manning, but the wife of his superior, Capt. Granson, is in love with him and begs him to run away with her. Britton refuses, but is soon sent to arrest Sioux chief Rain-in-the-Face, who has murdered two soldiers from the 7th. He captures his quarry and carts him off to jail, infuriating the local Indians. When Capt. Granson learns of his wife's infatuation with Britton, he makes trouble for Britton, who is soon forced to resign his commission. He signs up as an army scout, and learns that the Indians are planning to attack and massacre the 7th under the command of Col. George Armstrong Custer. Can he get to Custer in time to warn him of the impending attack, and will he--a disgraced army officer--be believed?
Robert Lovell falls in love with his father’s secretary Dorothy Arden and marries her in secret despite his father and his business partner Daniel Casselis’s attempts to arrange a match for him with Daniel’s daughter, also named Dorothy. When circumstances lead to the three young people ending up stranded on a lonely island in the Pacific, complications ensue, especially when Bob suffers a blow which temporarily wipes out his memory and he cannot remember which Dorothy is his wife! All ends happily, however.
Miss Olivia Martindale, at a dinner, announces: "There is no longer any romance in American life," and immediately arouses a storm of protest.
Lieutenant Curren of the regular army, is assaulted by Private Roy, of his company, and the latter is sent to the military prison. Known as Convict 125, Roy serves a year of his time, then his desire for revenge turns to repentance and he apologizes to Curren. A pardon is secured and Roy reinstated in the service. War breaks out, and Roy saves the Lieutenant's life on the field of battle but loses his own in doing so. From a locket found on Roy, Curren's wife identifies him as her long-lost brother
"Now match him if you can, this Reg'lar Army Man. Rattlin', Rattlin', Colt or Gatlin'. Reg'lar Army Man." The daughter of his old pal and bunkie becomes his ward. He finds they have met before, are already in love, so he proposes and she becomes his wife.
Wolf Erickson, captain of the "hell ship" Ellen Miller, returns to port after a very successful voyage. Because of his terrible temper, he is greatly feared by his entire crew. Even his son, John, a boy of about ten years old, is a victim of his father's wrath. The son, however, has not inherited his father's hasty temper.
Allen Bancroft of Lancashire is framed by criminals leading to his imprisonment and subsequent struggle to clear his name and find work, all while facing coercion from the same criminals.
Newly immigrated from Russia young factory worker Irma loves Alex, and they plan to marry. When he is killed in an explosion a heartbroken Irma finds herself in the family way. Alex’s brother Ivan proposes marriage though it costs him the love of Margaret. Years pass and Ivan becomes successful in business, finding himself in competition with his former employer for a large contract. Margaret, still bitter at being spurned, works with Ivan’s competitor to steal information on his bid for the job. Ivan discovers the plot in time and a race to the state capital ensues between him on a special train and his adversaries in a car alongside. A collision leads to a divisive victory for Ivan who also comes to realize his heart truly belongs to Irma.
Hugo Reid loves and is engaged to the fair Irene. Warned by his father that insanity runs in their family he chooses to break with her without sharing the reason why. Driven by his loneliness and despair, Hugo goes back to his former flame, Hazel Hamilton, a lady of loose character. Irene sees them together and hurt flees with Hugo in pursuit. At first anxious to win her back, Hugo eventually tells all to Irene’s mother, leaving the house for good. Shortly thereafter he falls into madness.
When the infant Betty Emerson’s father is killed in an accident it drives her mother mad leading to her commitment to an asylum. Betty is sent to an orphanage where after a year’s time wealthy widow, Mrs. Blake, chooses to adopt her. A decade later when a fully recovered Mrs. Emerson is discharged, she begins a search for Betty, leading her to Mrs. Blake’s door. While the two women argue over her Betty enters. Both women plead with her, one to return and the other to stay. Betty offers the solution by staying with both.
Helen Embert, the lodge keeper’s daughter on the estate of wealthy widow Mrs. Melvina Jenkins is in love Bert Harrison. When by happenstance Bert saves Mrs. Jenkins and her daughter Mary from an accident he is instantly smitten with Mary. Feeling rejected, Helen pines away, expiring soon after. Helen’s mother, consumed with revenge, sets her sights on extracting it upon Mary but is prevented from harming her in the nick of time.
Upon his death Jerry Livingstone, a wealthy convict, leaves his son Henry the sole heir of a considerable fortune with the provision of a larger additional sum if he marries Jerry's ward, Winifred Gale. Upon hearing this, Winifred writes to the young Livingstone that she will not participate in a marriage of convenience.
Richard loves Helen, but her snobby mother looks down on him because his father made his money as a soap manufacturer. She arranges a trip abroad for Helen, but Helen arranges to meet Richard and have him drive her to the station. Richard’s aunt gives him his mother's wedding ring as a talisman and en route to the train a traffic backup occurs resulting in Helen missing the train and Richard winning her hand. Auntie claims that the ring is responsible; father only smiles knowing he paid one of his men to bribe streetcar motormen, truckmen, and taxicab drivers to bring about the traffic tie-up.
Rene, condemned to execution for murder in the first degree tells his mother the story of the crime. His sister had been lured from home and abandoned by the villain. Desolate at first after some time she married a man who became governor but when the villain shows up again and threatens her happiness Rene kills him.
During the American Revolution, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr are both courting beautiful Margaret Moncrieffe. Fast-forward several years and they again find themselves on opposite sides, this time about compensation for the properties of Tories--colonists who sided with the British--during the war. Hamilton falls for Maria Reynolds, who it turns out is secretly the wife of prominent pawnbroker Jacob Clingman, a friend of Burr's. The pair conspire to destroy Hamilton, who is now Secretary of the Treasury and married to the daughter of a prominent army general, by making public several love letters Hamilton had written to Mrs. Reynolds.
William Lewis accidentally shoots a policeman while breaking into a house as a prank with his friends. His friend Sid falsely accuses him of the shooting, and Will escapes, eventually meeting and marrying Alice. Later, Sid blackmails Will into helping him rob a bank, leading to a chain of events that ultimately results in Will's imprisonment and eventual tragic death.
Wealthy Lucy Winter falls in love itinerant gardener George Turner much to her father's chagrin. In flashback we find there is a deep seated reason for his truculence, one that caused great sorrow to all. In time things are resolved after much soul searching.
A soap factory heir poses as a worker to reform conditions, and is saved from an anarchist by a flower girl.
Kid Kelly, a gangster in New York's Lower East Side, attempts to rob Goldberg's millinery store. When the police arrive, Flo Haines, who had come to the building to look at an apartment, hides. When the police find her, they charge her with the crime, but the Kid turns himself over to the law instead. After his release, he again meets Flo, who works in an artificial-flower factory by day and at Reverend Roberts' relief mission by night. The Kid soon falls in love with Flo, and his jealous sweetheart Mamie tricks her into coming to her apartment, where she drugs her and turns her over to Joe Carelli, the flower factory's lustful owner. The Kid saves Flo, but when Carelli is found murdered the next day, he is arrested for the crime. The confession of Annie, who had stabbed Carelli in a jealous rage, frees The Kid, who reforms himself and marries Flo.
Heading to America after finding themselves destitute following their father's death, Charles de la Fontaine, the Marquis d'Aubeterre and his sister Helen secures a position in the home of Lathrop, a millionaire thanks to the Countess d'Este. He instantly falls in love with Lathrop's pretty daughter Marian, but she fears he is a fortune hunter and becomes engaged to the wealthy Rudolph Miller. Charles tells her he would only marry her when the two are equally wealthy. Charles then secretly backs Marian's brother Frank in a successful financial venture, making both rich. Discovering Rudolph is unfaithful and with the "golden wall" of wealth that had separated them now obliterated, Marian and Charles wed.